“Looking back, I said I would help, but I actually couldn’t care less.
To make excuses, I was busy taking care of my own stuff. Meanwhile, it seems Henry’s heart was burning up.
“Calm down,” I said.
Henry replied, sounding frustrated, “What do you think I’m feeling?”
He even loosened his tie and downed another shot of soju.
Does he even know what soju is before drinking it?
At first, he poured for himself, but finding that too bothersome, he started drinking straight from the bottle. I never thought I’d see a white guy guzzling soju like that in my life.
Seeing him struggle like this makes me feel sorry. James had asked me to take good care of him.
Is there a good way I can help?
In that moment, something popped into my mind.
I grabbed the soju bottle from his hand and said, “Stop drinking and listen. I actually have a plan prepared for Henry.”
Henry looked at me with suspicion.
“Really?”
“I’m thinking of going on a summer vacation together this time.”
Taek-gyu looked at me incredulously and asked, “That vacation was the plan for Henry?”
“…….”
Yes. It just became that way.
It’s simple why Henry couldn’t approach me all this time, even though Hyun-joo doesn’t have a boyfriend.
He was so caught up in work that he didn’t leave even a little gap.
“If we go on vacation, we’ll have some leisure time, right? That means there’ll be opportunities too, don’t you think?”
Of course, I can’t be sure. Hyun-joo’s personality might lead her to bring work along.
Henry looked as if he had grabbed a lifeline from the sky.
“Thank you. I won’t forget this kindness.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s a big favor…”
“But where are you planning to go?”
“I’m thinking of the Maldives.”
That’s because Ellie wants to go there.
Henry replied joyfully, “That works out perfectly. My grandfather owns a villa in the Maldives.”
“Really?”
Taek-gyu blinked in surprise and asked, “What a coincidence that the villa is in the Maldives! How did this happen?”
This isn’t a coincidence.
Because…
“There are villas not just in the Maldives, but also in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, among other places.”
The Goldmans have always been a famous financial dynasty.
Therefore, they have owned properties all over the world for a long time. The villa is just one of those properties.
Yeah. This is what a wealthy life looks like.
No need to book separate accommodations.
***
After the unveiling of CarOS’ autonomous driving technology, the industry sought its own survival methods.
Leading firms in the autonomous driving sector—Nikola, Guvl, and NPL—announced that they would form a technology partnership.
They agreed to integrate their individually developed technologies into one, sharing patents and collaborating on future development.
In other words, an anti-CarOS alliance has formed.
While synergy effects may arise from their cooperation, catching up to CarOS’ technological prowess in a short time will be difficult. The challenges to commercialization will also be significant.
What will Eunsung Motors do?
For now, they are focused on developing hydrogen vehicles in collaboration with the government. The outline for the hydrogen vehicle set to launch in the second half of the year is gradually taking shape, and the government has provided strong support.
President Park Si-hyeong’s approval ratings had fallen to rock bottom after the savings bank crisis, but recently, a positive development emerged.
It is none other than North Korea.
Despite international sanctions, North Korea has heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula through nuclear development and missile tests.
Like a fish in water, Park Si-hyeong has been holding daily media briefings and convening the NSC (National Security Council) to increase pressure on North Korea. While the actual effectiveness of this pressure is uncertain, it has certainly rallied domestic support.
Thanks to this, his approval ratings have recovered to around 30%. This shows that the term “concrete support base” is not unfounded.
However, the bigger issue lies with the opposition party.
Unlike the conservative bloc, which is tightly united around the Korean Party, the progressive camp has been floundering, repeatedly disbanding and regrouping. Legislators moved around like assembling Lego, with parties splitting and merging back together.
It’s confusing even for observers. It truly is a disorganized mess. Already, rumors are circulating that a regime change is unlikely.
We gathered in the CEO’s office for a meal of jjajangmyeon.
Senior colleague Sang-yeop enjoyed life while working hard. He lived in an expensive penthouse with a monthly rent exceeding 20 million won and bought any car he fancied without hesitation. Recently, he even contracted for a Lamborghini.
“What happened with that actress you were seeing last time?”
“What happened? It just ended up as a fling.”
“Considering we’ve only been in a situationship, haven’t we made quite a bit of progress?”
Sang-yeop said while mixing his jjajangmyeon.
“More than that, we’re still getting requests for lectures from OTK Gate. Don’t you have any thoughts?”
“I have none.”
The application for OTK Gate, a co-working space initiated by OTK Company and Golden Gate as part of their social contribution activities, had long since closed.
Countless young people burned with passion there, dreaming of becoming the next Google or Facebook. As a result, the floors housing the co-working space were perpetually lit up 24 hours a day.
Applications continued to pour in, but it was already full; additional entries could only happen if existing companies left.
For now, we decided to keep an eye on the situation and decide on expansion as vacancies occurred in the building.
“It would be nice if you went and shared some good insights.”
“I don’t really have anything to say.”
People think I can accurately predict future economic trends.
Of course, that’s a huge misconception. How could I know how the world will change or which industries will thrive?
I just invest based on intuition.
Instead, Sang-yeop or Gi-hong could go and share plenty of valuable insights. Golden Gate is also providing practical support.
While eating jjajangmyeon and watching the news, a familiar face suddenly appeared.
A young woman who got out of a car stood before the photo line with her head bowed. Cameras clicked away around her.
Taek-gyu was taken aback.
“Why is that woman here?”
That was none other than Executive Director Hwang Joo-yeon, whom I had met at the department store.
“Why is she doing that over there?”
“There are some issues going on.”
The situation unfolded due to a recently released audio recording in the media.
When the department store instructed small clothing companies to move their stores, the president rushed in pleading.
However, right then, Executive Director Hwang Joo-yeon unleashed a torrent of harsh insults for about 15 minutes, and when that wasn’t enough, she threw objects. From her voice alone, it sounded like a madwoman screaming and rampaging. The president burst into tears, and only after he desperately pleaded did she stop insulting.
When the recorded transcripts were released, people were outraged.
Until that moment, Hwang Joo-yeon and the department store had not made any significant statements. They believed that over time, public opinion would settle down, as it always had.
But it was the opposite.
Starting with the transcripts, various misdeeds came to light like unearthing sweet potatoes.
It turned out that the store had already relocated twice within a year, each time requiring new interior renovations.
The interior company that held a monopoly contract with the department store was none other than a company owned by Hwang Joo-yeon and her brother.
Moreover, they frequently organized promotional events, passing the costs onto the small businesses, and utilized the staff for personal tasks, treating them like servants.
It was even reported that she slapped someone in front of other employees.
Taek-gyu nodded, stating, “No wonder the atmosphere felt tense when she appeared at the department store. It was like the theme music for Darth Vader playing.”
So that’s why the employees were so startled when she showed up?
Interestingly, the person who leaked the transcripts was not the small business owner but a department store employee present at the scene.
That employee, seeing the innocent small business owner being insulted and crying, felt it was wrong and decided to report the incident.
According to him, such behavior was not new; Hwang Joo-yeon truly ruled like a queen within the department store.
Despite this, the stores hesitated to voice complaints out of fear of being expelled from the department store.
She often threatened stores that didn’t comply, stating she would block them from entering not only Gallery Department Store but other department stores and malls as well.
As these facts emerged, public opinion worsened, leading to a boycott of Gallery Department Store.
In the end, President Hwang Hyun-jung dismissed his daughter, and the prosecution began its investigation as if there was no other choice.
“Hm, she seemed fine when I saw her before.”
At my words, Senior Sang-yeop laughed.
“Well, that’s because it’s in front of the representative of OTK Company. She only has anger management issues in front of small business representatives.”
“……”
What kind of anger management issues can develop depending on who you’re looking at?
Fortunately, maybe she’s been healed now; she lowered her head and calmly spoke.
“I apologize to the public for causing concern. I also express my regrets to those who were hurt because of me.”
The reporters simultaneously fired questions at her.
“Is it true that you verbally abused others?”
“Do you admit to slapping your employees?”
“Please explain the reason for your bullying against the partner companies.”
What could she possibly say?
“I will sincerely cooperate with the prosecution’s investigation.”
With that statement, she walked into the prosecution office.
After all, there’s no way she could be arrested for something like this. Like other chaebols, she would act contrite and then return to management.
Since there have been countless controversies over chaebol bullying, it’s really not surprising anymore.
“When will we stop seeing chaebols entering the prosecution office?”
Taek-gyu said as he looked at me.
“But you’ve been there twice yourself.”
“……”
What exactly is my crime?
***
I met Ellie after work.
She arrived at the meeting place around 11 PM after finishing her work.
“Sorry, I’m really late.”
“It’s okay.”
Recently, Golden Gate’s Korean branch has been extremely busy. They’ve started opening branches in the metropolitan area and cities and began fundraising.
Typical funds raise capital after deciding on investment targets and methods, such as whether to invest in bonds, stocks, domestically or internationally, index or active funds, etc.
However, Golden Gate is raising a blind fund. As the name suggests, a blind fund does not provide any prior information about what products it will invest in or how.
Moreover, it is a closed-end fund. Unlike an open-end fund, which allows redemptions at any time, a closed-end fund cannot be redeemed until the end of the investment period.
Naturally, there’s no principal guarantee, and any losses fall on the clients.
Investors fully trust the fund manager’s judgment with their money. Because of this, without a solid reputation, it’s tough to raise funds.
But Golden Gate is the world’s top IB. Even when combined with all domestic securities firms, they cannot compare to Golden Gate.
Wealthy individuals flocked, and the 50 billion KRW fund closed within a few days.
“Since you became the team leader, it’s hard to see you.”
Ellie said, a bit sulkily.
“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have accepted the promotion.”
Her expression was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.
“What about Hyun-joo?”
“She’s still working at the company.”
“Should I grab some late-night snacks and visit you?”
At my suggestion, Ellie shook her head firmly.
“No, I don’t want to go back to the office today.”
“Have you made any travel plans yet?”
“Of course. In the midst of working, I perfectly finished the research.”
She looks excited at the thought of going on vacation.
If the company tries to stop her, that would be a big problem.
“More importantly, I have a gift for you.”
“A gift?”
Ellie pulled out a square box wrapped in paper from her bag and handed it to me.
I was taken aback.
“Is there something special about today?”
It’s not my birthday… Is there an important anniversary I forgot?
Ellie smiled playfully.
“Do I need a special occasion to give a gift? I’ve only received from Jinhoo until now, and I wanted to give something too.”
“Really?”
At that moment, I felt a wave of emotion.
“Can I open it now?”
“Of course.”
I carefully unwrapped the paper.
Inside the box was a watch. It was a Rolex.
I was shocked.
“This must be expensive.”
“For someone like me with a salary, yes, it is. But I got promoted, and I thought it would suit Jinhoo, so I decided to splurge.”
Ellie said with sparkling eyes.
“Try it on.”
I put the watch on my wrist as she instructed. It fit perfectly, as if the strap had been pre-adjusted. Joyfully, I moved my wrist around to admire it, but suddenly felt a huge sense of unease.
I feel like I’m missing something important…
What could it be?
When I suddenly stopped, Ellie looked at me and asked.
“What’s wrong? Do you not like it?”
I shook my head.
“No, that’s not it…”
Suddenly, I felt a wave of nausea and my head began to spin. As I stumbled, Ellie was taken aback.
“What’s wrong?”
She quickly got up from across the table and came closer to me.
What on earth is happening…
Ellie shouted something while holding me, but I couldn’t hear it well because of the ringing in my ears. My vision started to blur, and I couldn’t see clearly in front of me.
It was just like back then.
At that moment, a memory of the same premonition flashed before my eyes.
-San Francisco Earthquake-
2012.